Business education programs taught at universities are sometimes criticized for being too theoretical and impractical.
The Investment Management Program is aimed at providing students with the skills, theory, and concepts needed to become portfolio managers through a pro-active educational environment. However, the finance discipline is on the forefront of encouraging students to integrate theory with practice in investments and portfolio management. The innovative program of establishing a student investment fund
, one where university students have discretion over the management of a real dollar portfolio, is a definite movement toward using actual money to make the learning experience more realistic. The Investment Management Program at Shippensburg is one of only a few undergraduate programs in the United States which provides unique hands on educational experience in investments. Students in the class make all the decisions involving the management of the investment portfolio. They also analyze holdings in the portfolio and propose changes based on objectives that they set. Students are required to perform substantial presentations and research investment opportunities, the economy, and securities on an expectation and predictive basis.